No Sacrifice At All
by Shasta627
Summary: It wasn't the first time that they'd all been in danger. The older they got the more involved they became in the plight to stop the treacherous affairs of the Ten Men, and nine times out of ten they were successful. But there was still that one time out of ten in which they were not... [Reynie x Kate]
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Well, I think it's ABOUT TIME I wrote a Mysterious Benedict Society fic, seeing as it's one of my all time fave books series~! But anyway, I heard that the 4th book is coming out this fall and was inspired to revisit my favorite ship and endlessly hope that there's some cute moments between them in the new book (there probably won't be but I can still hope, right?) I digress. Anyway, read and enjoy friends xD **_

* * *

It wasn't the first time that they'd all been in danger. The older they got the more involved they became in the plight to stop the treacherous affairs of the Ten Men, and nine times out of ten they were successful.

But there was still that one time out of ten in which they were not.

The children of the Mysterious Benedict Society (if they could even be _called _children anymore—Kate was seventeen and Reynie and Sticky were only a few months behind her, and even Constance was maturing in one way or another), had been asked by Mr. Benedict to help infiltrate a secret meeting the Ten Men were planning to conduct. They all knew the devious men were up to something, and Mr. Benedict wished to know exactly _what_ before they apprehended all of them again, and so he requested the children's help seeing as Milligan was on a separate mission at a classified location somewhere across the sea.

In the beginning the operation had gone smoothly enough. The Ten Men were meeting in an old warehouse by the docks in Stonetown Harbour ("How stereotypical can you get?" Kate said earlier in response to hearing where the hideout was), and Kate and Reynie had successfully slipped inside disguised as mundane dock workers. Their job was to quickly bug the place and then disappear before they were spotted while Constance and Sticky were in the next warehouse over, where they had set up all the equipment they needed in order to listen in and record the conversation. Kate and Reynie were to join them once their part of the plan was completed.

It was supposed to be simple and easy; if everything went well the Ten Men would reveal their nefarious plans and then all be locked up behind bars before they could enact it, and the Mysterious Benedict Society would remain victorious once again. Yet things started going sideways once the Ten Men began showing up early before Kate and Reynie could finishing bugging the place.

"Kate! Reynie! People are heading inside the building," Sticky's voice crackled over the comms they all wore hidden in their ears, his nervous tone evident despite the static. "I think it's—what's that, Constance? Okay, yeah, she says it's definitely Crawlings and a few others. _You need to_ _get out of there!_" he shouted at them.

"What?" Reynie replied, horrified. His heart began to speed up. The information they'd obtained said the meeting wasn't supposed to be for another half hour!

"_Get out! Get out! Get out!_" Sticky kept repeating frantically, but even as Kate and Reynie began rushing for the entrance, they could hear the all too familiar voices of the Ten Men coming their way.

"No time," Kate whispered, grabbing ahold of Reynie's arm and jerking him the other way instead. "Sticky, we're gonna have to stay. We'll hide in here and hopefully won't be seen."

"But where can we hide?" Reynie asked, all too aware of the voices growing louder as the Ten Men moved farther into the building.

"Up there," Kate pointed at the rafters above them with a grin. In a matter of a few seconds, she had expertly scaled the sides of the warehouse and perched herself on the metal beams before tossing down her rope to Reynie. Reynie climbed as quickly as he could and precariously settled himself beside her, the large light that illuminated the warehouse swinging in place from a few feet behind them. He had better balance and agility than he'd had when he was younger, but his skills still paled in comparison to Kate's.

"But Kate, what if—?"

"Sorry Sticky, we gotta go dark. They're here," Kate whispered. Sticky let out an anxious moan but understood and said no more.

The Ten Men gathered directly below them, pulling out empty crates littered around the warehouse to sit on as they all placed their briefcases by their feet on the floor.

"Don't. Make. A. Sound," Kate mouthed at Reynie. Reynie felt like her reminder was unnecessary—it wasn't like he was going to start _purposefully _making noise so that they'd be seen—but he nodded anyway. They often found themselves in risky situations like this one, so he wasn't too worried.

Just as long as none of the men glanced high above them, that is.

The Ten Men began their discussion, but they were uncharacteristically quiet. Kate and Reynie had to strain their ears to hear what was being discussed, but still only caught occasional words such as "weapon", "dangerous", and "almost ready". Kate and Reynie exchanged uneasy looks. They had placed a few bugs on the crates the men were sitting on, so Constance and Sticky should've been hearing the secret meeting loud and clear.

Reynie instead focused on the men, and noticed that a few of them were carrying actual guns, not just their briefcase weapons. He decided that was bad news, seeing as the men were now even more dangerous and deadly than before.

Crawlings was currently talking, and all the other Ten Men were giving him their undivided attention. All of them except McCracken, that is. Reynie watched the big man with a frown. McCracken was simply staring hard at the middle of the wall opposite him, but when Reynie looked he saw nothing but shadows. Beside him Kate silently tossed her ponytail over her shoulder, and at that exact moment the shadow on the wall _moved_. Reynie blinked, and then noiselessly raised his hand above his head. The shadow on the wall raised its hand, too.

Reynie had to bite his tongue to refrain from groaning as he realized several things at once.

_They _were the shadows on the wall and McCkracken had seen them, meaning they were compromised, and most importantly, in imminent danger.

Reynie bent so close to Kate his lips brushed her ear. "He knows," he breathed, hardly daring to move. "The light behind us? It's casting our shadows on the wall and he's seeing them move."

He could feel Kate tense up beside him as she no doubt realized the trouble they were in, just as McCracken interrupted Crawlings and motioned for him to stop speaking.

Sticky's voice quietly began speaking in their ears."Kate, Reynie, I know it's risky to respond, but the meeting's stopped. McCracken said something about it being unsafe because of spies. I think you should get out—_now_."

"Copy that, Sticky. Also, get the emergency extraction plan ready just in case," Reynie replied as loudly as he dared.

"Time to go," Kate whispered a second later, grabbing her rope. She turned to Reynie. "I'm going to swing down and take them all by surprise. That'll give you enough time to climb down and make a beeline for the exit. I'll be right behind you, and then make sure you lock the door once I'm outside." She winked at him.

"What? No, I can't let you—" Reynie began to protest, but Kate had already flung herself off the rafters into the midst of the Ten Men.

"Hello, boys," she said cheerfully, before beginning to dodge the weapons they started pelting at her.

Reynie had no time to watch her though, as spectacular as her actions and maneuvers were. He quickly descended from the rafters and snuck to hide behind some of the crates still piled up in the centre of the room. From where he was he had a perfect path to the exit. He was just about to make a run for it when he heard a small _click_ from beside him.

Very carefully, he turned his head toward the sound and saw McCracken standing there on Reynie's right, yet the Ten Man hadn't even noticed him. He was facing the opposite way.

And aiming a gun straight at Kate.

"Time to end this once and for all," the man growled. "Just need you to stand still…"

For a second Reynie was frozen, unable to imagine just what might happen if McCracken pulled the trigger on Kate—who hadn't even noticed she was being targeted yet. As quick as Kate was, she wouldn't be able to dodge a bullet, especially if she didn't see it coming, and just the thought of living in a world without Kate Wetherall left an ache so intense inside of him he could hardly see straight. He had to do something. He had to stop him, he had to—

"Reynie! Kate!" Sticky shouted through his earpiece, causing Reynie to jump. "The emergency extraction plan is ready! We called the law enforcement and they have the warehouse surrounded, just get out of there and—"

Sticky's news caused Kate to still briefly as she listened to what he said, which unfortunately gave McCracken just the opening he was looking for.

"Bye bye, little ducky," he grinned maliciously, and pulled the trigger.

Kate heard the sound, the loud _crack_ of the bullet and the intense ringing as it echoed off the metal walls of the warehouse, and whipped around in shock. Her hands flew across her body, searching for the bullet and trying to see if it had hit her or if by some stroke of luck had missed, but her rapid movements stilled once her brain registered the sight before her.

McCracken was standing there, his gun aimed straight at her head, looking surprised but mildly annoyed, and then there at his feet was Reynie.

Reynie, who had jumped in front of McCracken's gun and taken the bullet intended for her.

Kate barely had time to react even if she wanted to. At that moment the doors to the warehouse flew open and the police came rushing in, guns of their own pointed at the horde of Ten Men. McCracken was distracted just long enough for Kate to fly at him and knock the gun out of his hand. With one fierce kick to his midsection she sent him sprawling to the floor, and then placed her foot on his chest as her knuckles rained down fury upon his face. She couldn't stop herself. Her hands were flying out of her control, and the only thing she could think was _how dare you hurt Reynie, you monster!_ But then someone grabbed her and pulled her off of the man—whose face now resembled a bloody Picasso portrait—but Kate wretched herself out of their grasp, her blind rage beginning to fade. She vowed to finish dealing with McCracken later, but at that moment she had a new objective: find Reynie and make sure he wasn't…

She couldn't bare to finish formulating the thought. Instead she pushed through the crowd of police officers and EMT's that had surrounded her friend.

"Reynie! _Reynie!_" she cried, nearly body slamming an officer to the side in order to kneel by her friend. Kate was hardly one to panic, but when she saw Reynie lying there, eyes closed and skin ashy pale, with a pool of blood staining the centre of his shirt—

"No, no, no, no," Kate whispered, reaching for him with shaking hands. It was all she could say, over and over again, as she prayed for this nightmare to end. This couldn't be happening. This had _never _happened before, and of all the people for it to happen to…

"Miss...you need to let go. Miss. Miss, _please_."

Kate barely registered that the voice was speaking to her, until someone began to gently pry her fingers off of his arm. "No, no, _no_," her cry continued, only more defiant this time. They couldn't take Reynie away from her, she wouldn't let them. This was all her fault, and she needed to make sure he was okay.

"Miss, he needs a doctor. We're taking him to the hospital," the officer told her, tugging at the iron grip she had on Reynie's arm. Kate finally relinquished her hold once his words registered in her brain. Reynie needed help, and a doctor was who they needed, not her. With great reluctance she backed away, watching as though in a daze as the EMT's lifted Reynie onto a stretcher and took him away. For a second Kate didn't know how to breath. What would happen if he didn't make it? He _couldn't _die, not for her.

"It was supposed to be me," Kate breathed, but no one heard her or even paid her any attention. All at once it hit Kate harder than a ton of bricks that she would've died that night, had it not been for Reynie. If he had only escaped like she told him to, it would be her lying on the ground, a bloody bullet hole above her heart. But instead he had stayed, and quite possibly sacrificed his life for hers.

Despite her physical endurance Kate's knees buckled beneath her, and for the first time that night, hot, bitter tears coursed down her cheeks as she finally succumbed to the torrent of emotions building up inside of her. She cried because of the cruelty of the Ten Men, and for the ugliness of the weapons they used. She cried because of the injustice in life, and how unfair it was for someone so kind and so good to be so hurt. She cried for the future, and for how much not knowing the unknown scared her. And above all, she cried for her friend that'd been willing to give up his life in exchange for hers, and the fact that she may never see him alive again…

* * *

_**(A/N: Don't worry there'll be a part two...or three...;)**_


	2. Chapter 2

One week.

One whole week he had been unconscious, or so the doctors had told him. When Reynie woke up he had never been so disoriented in his whole life. People were crying, kissing his face, saying they were so happy he was alive, while he was still just trying to figure out why he was in a hospital in the first place. Was he sick? Did he take a bad fall?

Then all too soon everything came back at once. The warehouse. McCracken with a gun. Reynie jumping to save Kate. And then the most excruciating pain flaring inside him, beforeeverything was swallowed with darkness.

"I was shot," Reynie stated in disbelief later the next day, propped up on the hospital bed so he could actually face his two visitors. Miss Perumal and her mother scooted closer to his bed, tears of joy running down their faces.

"Yes dear, you were, but you survived. It was a miracle, the doctor said. For a long time there it seemed like you…" Miss Perumal couldn't finish her sentence, but she didn't need to. They all knew how close of a call it was. Instead, she leaned over and brushed back Reynie's brown hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Amma, it's alright. I'll be fine," he comforted softly, gently reaching out to hold her hand. There were still lots of wires and IV's attached to his arm, so he couldn't reach _too _far, but thankfully she was close enough to him that he didn't have to exert himself.

"I know, I know," said Miss Perumal, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. "I just worry so much about you, Reynie. On that last mission, my worst fear almost came true, and I just couldn't bare to lose you. I love you too much—we both do," she added, looking over at her mother, who nodded emphatically.

"And I love you," Reynie responded with an affectionate smile. "And I'm sorry for scaring you, but I had to save Kate." He paused, wondering when she—along with Sticky and Constance—would come and visit him. He'd been awake for almost an entire day and still had yet to see any sign of them.

As if she read his mind (which Reynie sometimes believed she could do), Miss Perumal squeezed his hand and said, "Everyone else will be here today. The doctor's didn't let them in yesterday because they weren't legally family, and didn't want to overwhelm you."

"They are family though, legal or not," Reynie argued.

"I know," said Miss Perumal soothingly, "but we thought it best not to argue with the doctors."

Reynie supposed it was a moot point now, so he didn't dispute it any further. And true to Miss Perumal's word, later that afternoon the nurse came in followed by Sticky, Kate, and Constance, who all immediately rushed to his bedside.

"Reynie!" Constance was the first to speak, and the seven year old flung herself across his legs (the only part of him not bandaged or aching) before beginning to sob. "W-we thought you were—that you were g-gonna—" She then sat up to look at him, her bloodshot eyes and tear streaked face morphing into an expression of admonition. "Don't you ever scare us like that again, you dummy!" She then buried her face into his sheets and cried again.

Reynie had to hold back tears of his own as he reached as far as he could to gently pat her blonde head. "I'm sorry," he said softly, his voice thick with emotion. He hadn't even thought about how his friends and family would handle the repercussions of his demise had he died, and felt guilty for having scared them all so bad. He honestly hadn't been thinking of anything other than _save Kate_ in the moment that he jumped in front of McCracken's gun.

He looked over at Kate, thankful that he had accomplished at least that. She seemed different though—more subdued and withdrawn. She wouldn't even meet his eyes as she dropped into the chair by the foot of his bed.

"We're just really glad you're alright," Sticky said, smiling despite the unshed tears shining in his eyes. "The doctor said the bullet entered at an angle, pierced your thoracic wall and glanced off the manubrium of your sternum before the bullet shattered. Half of it bounced to the right, breaking two ribs and your clavicle, and the other shard tore through your trapezius muscle and infraspinatus fascia before—"

"If you're gonna speak at least speak english," said Consatnce, her voice muffled through the bed sheets.

Sticky sighed. "The point is, the odds that it missed your heart or any other vital organ at that close of a proximity are...very, very slim," Sticky continued. He paused to polish his glasses, though Reynie thought it was also so he could take a moment to collect himself. He finally put them back on, blinking furiously. "It's been a very long week," he said in a small voice.

"I'm...I'm sorry," Reynie said again, wishing he could offer some sort of comfort.

Sticky shook his head and gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. The doctor predicts a full recovery, and it'll all be in the past soon. I think it might be a while before we get to go on another mission though," Sticky chuckled.

Reynie grinned, and soon he and Sticky began casually talking as though nothing life threatening had taken place at all. Constance eventually stopped crying and joined in, as did Kate on occasion, though every time she and Reynie made eye contact, she would quickly look the other way. Reynie was puzzled by her behaviour and wished to speak to her privately, but figured he would just have to wait until the opportunity presented itself.

Fortunately for him, that opportunity came sooner than expected.

Constance left to go to the bathroom, and Sticky left with the promise to return in a bit with _real _food that wasn't the strange jell-o they kept giving Reynie at every meal—which left Kate and Reynie all alone.

At first it was silent, and Reynie used the moment to take a good look at her. Her blonde ponytail was limper than usual, and she lacked the normal enthusiasm that always exuded from her whenever she walked into a room. Deep shadows hung under her eyes, and he couldn't help but wonder if they were from little sleep or bruised from crying so hard. He tried to swallow down the guilty feeling rising up in him again and cleared his throat. She finally looked up at him, her eyes clouded with tears.

"I'm not contagious, y'know," he joked, gesturing at the large space between the bed and where she was seated in the chair.

Kate opened her mouth to respond, then abruptly closed it, her chin quivering.

Reynie had never seen Kate so distraught before, and frankly, it scared him.

"Kate?" he tried again. "I'm...I'm sorry if—"

Before he could blink, Kate had dashed across the room and launched herself into his arms. It was the gentlest hug he had ever received from her, and though the pressure against his chest was a bit uncomfortable, he said nothing. Instead, he returned her embrace as best as he could and held her as she sobbed into his neck, her tears hot against his skin.

"Don't be sorry," she finally whispered, her shoulders still shaking. "_I _should be the one who's sorry."

"You? But...why?" Reynie asked. Was she sorry that he'd saved her? Did she think all of this was somehow _her _fault?

"If I had been more aware of what was happening around me...if I hadn't stopped and been so _stupid_...if I had just turned around and saw him there—" she stopped to lean back and wipe her nose before finally looking him in the eye, "—you wouldn't have gotten hurt. You wouldn't have nearly _died _trying to save _me._ Why would you do that? Why would you do that, Reynie?" she repeated, her voice breaking on his name.

Reynie blinked, realizing she _did _think this was all her fault. He stared back into her piercing blue eyes, so close that he could see each individual tear as it clung to her eyelashes, and tried to wrap his head around the guilt she must've been carrying around all week. Finally he gripped her shoulder as tight as he could without upsetting the pulse oximeter on his finger.

"Kate." He said her name as forcefully as he could. "Do you really think I would just stand there and let you _die? _I had to do something! You wouldn't have been able to hear me yell with all the commotion going on so I just...jumped. And I'd do it a million times over if it meant keeping you alive."

Kate closed her eyes tightly, yet tears still escaped out the corners and ran down her cheek. On impulse, Reynie used his other hand to gently brush them away. Her eyes snapped open again at his gentle touch, so Reynie continued to speak. "Besides, I don't think I could ever forgive myself if I didn't at least _try_. The world needs Kate Wetherall more than they need Reynie Muldoon."

Kate jerked back so hard it was as though she'd been electrified. Reynie jumped at her quick movement and winced as it agitated his broken bones. "What—?"

"Don't _ever _say that again!" Kate scolded fiercely, yet despite the harshness of her tone her face began to crumple with emotion again, though it was clear she was making an effort to calm herself down. "How can you think…? Reynie, don't you realize how important you are to everyone? To the Society? To _me?_"

She had leaned in closer again, and brought up a hand to touch the side of his face in a very gentle, affectionate, un-Kate-like way. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Reynie couldn't help the blush that rose to his cheeks. "Reynie, I've been doing a lot of thinking and...I don't want to live in a world without you in it."

Reynie's mouth grew dry. It wasn't often that Kate was ever emotional, much less over _him. _He didn't know how to respond, so he said the first thing that came to his mind:

"I don't want to live in a world without you in it, either."

Even though he said it without thinking, he was surprised at how true the statement was. He meant what he said earlier when he told Kate he would sacrifice himself again and again as long as it meant she lived. And he'd do the same for Sticky, Constance, Mr. Benedict, and everyone else he loved, too.

"So please don't think this is your fault, alright?" Reynie continued. He waited until she nodded before speaking more. "Because I know for a fact that if our roles had been reversed you would've done the exact same thing, though if that were the case it probably would've been mhfmfgh—"

He was abruptly cut off by Kate suddenly grabbing the collar of his hospital gown and kissing him solidly on the mouth.

Reynie froze, his eyes as wide as they could go. But just as quick as it happened it was over. Kate leaned back, her face tinged with pink, and offered him a small smile. "I'm just...really glad you're alive," she said quietly.

There was a long silence as Reynie tried to remember how to speak. "I, uh, me too."

Kate grinned, and for a second Reynie saw the familiar spark that made Kate _Kate _alight in her eyes again, but all too soon it dimmed. She let go of his collar and straightened up, yet didn't move from her spot on the side of his bed.

That is, until Constance burst through the door, followed by Mr. Benedict and Milligan, who had still yet to see Reynie since he'd awakened.

As the others began talking and fussing over him, Kate quietly retreated back to her chair across the room, leaving Reynie with yet another life stopping experience to process on his own.

* * *

_**A/N: The suspense...! Next chapter coming soon~! Please R&R ;)**_


End file.
